Spooky season is here — and with Halloween falling on a Saturday for 2026, some events may be even more frightfully festive.
But do trick-or-treat times for the Chicago area change when Oct. 31 falls on a weekend?
Typically, trick-or-treat times are released by Chicago suburbs in the days or weeks leading up to Halloween, which in most recent years has been on a weekday. The holiday hasn’t fallen on a Saturday since 2020.
Last year, many trick-or-treat times for Chicago-area suburbs and cities started as early as 3 or 4, lasting until 7 or 8 p.m.
Many cities have yet to release details about their trick-or-treat times for 2026. Among those that have announced hours, many start earlier or run later, according to a list compiled by the website frightmaps.com.
In Cook County, Arlington Heights announced trick-or-treat times this year would be the same as 2025, running from 3 to 7 p.m. But in Countryside, La Grange, La Grange Park, Hillside and Western Springs, they’ll start an hour earlier and end an hour later, going from 2 to 8 p.m.
Oak Forest announced trick-or-treating would run from 1 to 6 p.m. for Saturday, Oct. 31. In years past, their hours have been 3 to 8 p.m.
Summit will have much earlier hours, with trick-or-treat times running from noon to 5 p.m. Last year, trick-or-treating didn’t begin until 3 p.m.
In Lake County, Vernon Hills trick-or-treating will start and end an hour earlier than usual, beginning at 3 and ending at 7 p.m.
While most suburbs publish their hours ahead of Oct. 31, the city of Chicago does not have designated trick-or-treat times. Hours may vary by neighborhood hours, with some offering Halloween-specific events.
More suburbs are expected to announce their times in the coming days and weeks.
